The Chains That Bind
by BloodGoyle
Summary: At the end of the day, there is no one waiting at home for Naruto. No one to fix him dinner or talk to him about his day. He is alone and yearning for someone to care, to recognize him. Instead he receives glances and avoidance from people he doesnt ev
1. 1 Defiance leads, Guileless will Follow

The Chains That Bind

Chapter One

Defiance leads, Guileless will Follow

"Naruto... Why did you do it?" An old man interrogated a young boy dressed in an orange outfit sitting oppsotite him in a small room. Three jounin level ninjas stood by the door, grim expressions on their faces and standing between the boy and his only escape route. The boy slouched in the chair, his arms crossed and glared at the floor, in an act of defiance. He muttered a smart-ass answer under his breath. "Naruto, I've had enough of this. Before you're little pranks never hurt anyone, but now you've gone and defiled the very monument to the four hokage who..." The old man's voice became a mosquito's buzzing in the background. He swatted it away and out of his mind, leaving with the punishment to undo his vilolation.

Naruto sulked as he walked out of the door alone, receiving glares from people passing by on the streets and murmurs of what he did. Mothers pulled their children away from him and warned them not to go close. Naruto heard, but watched the ground and refused to make eye contact with any of them. He walked the streets alone, his hands in his pockets and his goggles on his forehead almost covering his eyes, hiding them from the world. From the shadows, one glowing, expressionless eye watched him. A single tear bled down the shadow's hidden face, shining in the fading light from the dying sun. He did not notice, and kept walking.

The year was almost over. Somehow, he had to pass and become the greatest ninja of all time, become Hokage, just to prove to them all...... The way things are going, he'll never become a ninja...

The sun was in the middle of the sky, shining brightly over the students who could now call themselves ninjas. With their new forehead protectors that proved they were now ninja, they ran to their mothers and fathers, who congratulated them and told them how proud they were. Naruto sat on a swing under the shade of a great oak tree, watching the crowd from a distnce. No forehead protector replaced his goggles. He had failed the final exam. He was not a ninja. Two women in the crowd noticed him sitting alone, each with a disgusted look on their face.

"He's the only one who didn't become a ninja..." One said to the other, who nodded in agreement.

"Tch. Serves him right. After all, he is a-"

"Hey! You know it's forbidden to say that..." One interputed the other. They turned away and back to their own children who had their forehead protectors and were wearing them with pride.

A shadow watched him again, from above. It sat haunched over, ready to attack, on the branch of a tree near the one Naruto was shaded under. The shadow began to stir, mustles tightening and tensing up soundlessly, not even making a rustle in the leaves surrounding it.

"..._Now's my chance_..." A feminine voice whispered to herself. She leaned foreward, readying her body to lunge foreward from the branches when someone else wandered over to Naruto, a jounin. The shadow stopped and relaxed, leaning against the tree and sighing. She had missed her opportunity. She closed her eyes, wishing she could hear what was being said. The boy got up with the man and they left together. In the blink of an eye the shadow was gone.

"Naruto!! Don't give him the scroll! Mizuki tricked you!" Iruka-sensei called to Naruto, pulling a kunai out of his bleeding leg. He couldnt let Mizuki get his hands on that...Naruto looked from Mizuki back to Iruka, clutching the Scroll of Sealing in his hands, unsure of what to do. Mizuka just smirked, shrugging contently in his spot standing high on a tree branch.

"Why should you beleive him, or anyone else in this village? After all, they all lied to you..." Mizuki said. Naruto stared directly into his deceiving eyes, paralyzed and clutching the scroll. "They kept a secret from you..." Mizuki chuckled.

"What...What secret...?" Naruto's voice quivered.

"Mizuki!! Stop it!!" Iruka-sensei yelled to Mizuki, but to no avail.

"...That you are the demon fox that attacked Konoha!" Naruto stared unblinking into his eyes, holding his breath. "Iruka hates you. You killed his parents... And yours, too... And uncountable others..."

"_Mizuki!!!_"

"Now it's your turn..." Mizuki reached to the four-edged blade on his back, ignoring Iruka, and threw it directly at Naruto. Before the blade could lodge itself in Naruto's chest, Iruka threw himself in front of him, the blade stabbing his back as he sheilded Naruto with his life. His own blood began to drip from the corner of his mouth.

"_Naruto! RUN!!_" Iruka-sensei hissed at him, his eyes swelling with tears as more blood flowed out of his mouth. Naruto, still clutching the scroll, suddenly regained the ability to move, deciding Iruka's devotion would not be in vain, he would not give the scroll to Mizuki...

A streak of orange flashed among the tall branched of the trees, jumping from tree limb to tree limb. Naruto had the scroll tied around him on his back as he quickly got as far from the site as he could.

"Naruto!" Iruka-sensei appeared next to him, his blood-covered state keeping up with Naruto's speed in the trees. "Give me the scroll...!! I will keep it from Mizuki! If you have it, theres no telling-!" Suddenly Naruto body slammed his sensei in the chest, knocking him hard on the ground. He spit out a mouthful of blood to the ground beneth him, once he had rolled from his back to facing the grass. Naruto landed on his feet directly in front of him, his eyes menacing and angry. Iruka just grinned, wiping the blood from his chin with the back of his hand.

"How did you know it was me, Naruto?" In a puff of smoke, Iruka transformed back into Mizuki, and stood up. Naruto also dissapeared in smoke. Mizuki's eyes widened as he stared at the person before him. It was a woman- seemingly in her late teens. Her long blonde hair flowed gracefully in the wind behind her. She stared at him with her right eye, the other covered by a crooked forehead protector. She wore a black sleeveless vest with many pockets on the chest and sides, and zipped up to the neck where it hid most of her face. She had two black sleeves detached from her vest that began at her elbows and ended at her wrists. She wore a short black skirt with two slits going up the sides, and black cloth wrapped around her legs just beneath her knees, tucked into her sandals around the ankles.

"You're from the hidden valley of the Mist..." Mizuki said hesitantly, noticing her forehead protector had the symbol of the Mist on it. "What are you doing here?" He asked uncertainly but with confidence, wondering why a ninja of another village was so far from her own.

"You dare even speak to me?!" She said calmly, her rage visible in her eye. "_Stay away from Naruto!!!_" The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed throughout the forest, unsettling a flock of birds from their peaceful nests in the trees.


	2. 2 Sacrificial Lamb

The Chains That Bind

Chapter Two

Sacrificial Lamb

"Naruto..." Mizuki said to the boy, who sat panting on the ground, clutching the scroll for dear life. "...Give... me... the... scroll... " Mizuki said, clutching his upper arm, blood seeping from between his fingers. Mizuki stared at Naruto, holding out a slightly shaking hand. Naruto stood up, not loosening his grip on the scroll and with no intention to give it to him.

Mizuki lowered his hand and frowned as Naruto slowly backed away, shaking his head. Suddenly Naruto yelled, pulling out a kunai and throwing it at Mizuki. He barely had enough time to dodge, the blade ripping his shirt and just barely grazing his skin, the kunai's blade sticking in the bark of a tree. In a puff of smoke, Naruto had turned back into the bleeding Iruka, the scroll dissapeared.

"Iruka? Well, well..." Mizuki pulled out a kunai himself, twirling it around his middle finger. "This time I'll get ot finish you off..." He pulled his arm back, readying to throw the blade. Iruka stayed still, slumped over and leaning on a tree for support. Blood seeped out of his mouth as he watched his foe. With a snap of his wrist, the kunai was sent flying towards Iruka's chest. It was intercepted in midair by another kunai, held by Naruto, who had jumped into the line of fire.

"Don't come near Iruka-sensei!!" Naruto yelled, putting his hands together at his chest to form a seal with his hands. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!!_" Echoed throughtout the forest as uncountable Naruto's appeared, circling Mizuki, some on the ground in clusters and others ready to strike from above in the tree branches. With a mighty yell from each one, they attacked Mizuki from all directions, punching and kicking and slashing with blades. For every attack he blocked, one hit it's mark, and every Naruto he attacked dissapeared in a cloud of smoke. All of his attacks were in vain, none could locate the real Naruto and only left an opening in his defense for another attack.

By the end, he was on the ground, bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose, cuts and gashes and torn clothes, kunai's stuck in him everywhere. All the other Naruto's dissapeared, revealing the true one out of breath and chakura, but without a scrape on him. He stood above the fallen Mizuki, who spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Mizuki struggled to his feet under the surveillance of both Naruto and Iruka, but neither could prepare for nor was expecting him to vanish, jumping to the tree branches so quickly and without warning. In a flash he was gone. The two were silent for a while, until they were sure Mizuki was gone.

"...Naruto..." Iruka-sensei pushed himself to his feet with the aid of the tree he was leaning on. He hobbled over to where Naruto stood, the scroll at his feet. Iruka-sensei smiled. "Naruto..." He untied his forehead protector and tied it around Naruto's forehead. "Congratulations. You graduate-" Within an instant Naruto's tired face was uplifted, his eyes glowed with unsuspected pride.

"Realy?! You mean it?!" Before Iruka-sensei could respond, Naruto tackled him back to the ground, hugging him and rejoicing.

"Naruto! Ow! That hurts!" Iruka cringed at the sudden pain from Naruto crushing his wounds, but said no more, not wanting to ruin his moment. "Say, if you get off me i'll treat you to some Ramen!!" Iruka said, and without hesitation Naruto let go, jumping up and down excitedly. Iruka slowly got up again, retreiving the scroll as they both left the forest together.

Racing the opposite way, running from her dreams she'd held on to her entire life, a girl with long blode hair hopped nimbly from branch to branch. Eventually she stopped, falling from her place high in the trees, and landed on her stomach in a small clearing. She stuggled to push herself up to her knees, where she spit out another mouthful of blood on the ground. She sat up, pulling kunai's out of her body and dropping them onto the ground where they created a puddle of blood. She struggled to breath, gasping for breath through the blood in her throat that trickled out of her mouth. Her black vest was torn in many places, as was the rest of her outfit.

"_...I...Just want... you to be happy.... Naruto... I knew.. he would graduate you... if he saw..._" She choked, swallowing her words. ".._If he saw..._"

"You... _Bitch_..." A tall man suddenly stood above her, appearing out of nowhere. He brough the backside of his hand down into her face, forcing her to fall to her side. "That's the _last_ time you _ever_..." His mouth was moving, but she did not hear anything. Threats of harsh punishment for her difiant acts, threats that she knew would not go undone. The same every time. Run, even if for only a quick glance at him. But it was always worth it...


	3. 3 Ignorance is Bliss

The Chains That Bind

Chapter Three

Ignorance is Bliss

"Why am I the only one who has to be tied up?! Nobody got any bells!!" Naruto yelled and complained loudly, never stopping to take a breath the whole time. He was tied to a high tree stump, feet off the ground with his arms at his sides. He kicked the log with his heels as he yelled, watching Sakura and Sasuke sitting quietly on the ground. Sasuke rolled his eyes, trying to tune out Naruto's shouts. Sakura stared at Sasuke, off in her own little world. Her fantasies interupted by Naruto's incessent yelling, she turned to him with eyes full of anger.

"ShutUP, Naruto!" Sakura's eyes filled with a burning flame. Naruto continued to yell over her.

"Hey, calm down, you two..." Kakashi tried to prevent a very unfair fight that was about to go down. Sakura stood up, hands in fists. She was quickly shoved back to the ground by Kakashi, landing on her butt and looking up at him confused. He was starring into the bushes, his hand in front of the two, signaling for the two to remain still and be quiet. Something rustled in the brush behind Naruto's log. He finally stopped shouting, trying to crane his neck to see the bushes behind him.

Someone stumbled out of them, a girl... Her long blonde hair was matted to her face by sweat, the part of her face that was not concealed by a crooked forehead protector that was covering her left eye. She was wearing a black sleeveless vest with many pockets for kunai and throwing stars. Black sleeves that were detached from her vest started at her elbows and ran down her arm to her wrist. Her skirt was short, and black cloths like her two sleeves coverd each of her calves. Her vest was unzipped down past her chest, revealing a fishnet shirt. A hideous jaged scar ran from shoulder to shoulder, visible through the holes in the fishnet.

She was completely drenched in blood, a few kunai petruding from her torso and legs. She pulled them out as she staggered drunkenly towards the four. Kakashi prepared himself to fight, despite she was in no condition. Slowly she came up to where Naruto was tied to the log, reaching out a bloody, shaking hand to touch his face.

"...._It's been a while.... Uzumaki... Naruto...._" She whispered. Before her hand could touch him, Kakashi appeared between them, his arm held out and pushing her back slightly, away from Naruto, who was staring at her unblinking. Kakashi glared at her with his right eye as her gaze fell to the ground submissively. "_I know you... don't remember me..._" A trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth as she choked slightly. "..._My name is..... Uzumaki.... Satomi..._" Naruto stared at her, legs held still and mouth hung wide open. Kakashi continued to watch her carefully, examining her face through all the blood, but did not lower his arm from in between them.

Simultaneously both the girl's and Kakshi's eyes widened as they sensed someone coming, with a such a killing intention it could easily be sensed from miles away. The girl looked petrified, her breathing increased and heart pounding. Kakashi looked down at Sakura, who, like Sasuke, watched everything without a word. He shoved Satomi to the ground next to Sakura, who caught her.

"You, transform... Sakura," Kakashi hissed a rushed order to both of them. Sakura nodded, understanding, as Satomi used what little chakura she had left to transform into Sakura, who was still sitting next to her. In a gust of wind someone appeared before them, standing over Naruto on the top of the tree stump he was still bound to. It was a exile-ninja hunter, judging by the red and white mask that hid his entire face. The ninja's long black hair was in a bun on his head, long bangs on either side of his face hanging down to his chest. He wore a green and white kimono that fluttered in the wind.

"What is your business here?" Kakashi said, muscles tensing in case he tried anything. He was too close to Naruto... The killing intention he and Satomi had just felt... It was gone now. Could it have been made by this man?

"Excuse my intrusion. I am seeking a certain ninja... Who is very dangerous. I do not sense that it is here... But be on guard." He bowed from atop the log. Inside the mask his eyes fell upon each of Kakashi's subordinates. He stared at the two kneeling Sakuras. "...Isn't it customary for a Jounin to have only three subordinates?" He asked, his head turned in the direction of the girls. They each looked away. A trickle of blood began flowing down Satomi's upper leg. She quickly put her hands over it to try to hide it.

"Rarely does a passing class ever have exactly the right number of ninja to make no more than three in each group," Kakashi stated bluntly. "In this case, the twins were put together, being that they fight as one," Kakashi lied, not backing down and staring straight into the mask on the man's face. The man said nothing, bowing one last time deeply.

"I apolagize for wasting your time," In a powerful gust of wind he was gone. Almost emmediately after sensing he was no longer around, Satomi's transformation couldn't hold any longer, failing as she was forced to transform back into herself. She fell foreward onto her stomach, struggling to breath with the side of her face pressed on the ground. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees. Everyone was silent, watching her, even Naruto.

"...Who the hell are you?! How can you claim to be related to me!? _I have no family!!_" Naruto yelled at her at the top of his lungs. Her head was facing the ground, her hair covering up her face. She clenched her fists on the earth, pulling out two handfuls of grass and clutching them.

"...I... I'm so sorry.... Naruto...." Her voice was barely a whisper. "It happened... twelve years ago... I was only eight.... It attacked our village...." She was cut off by Naruto.

"I don't care what you have to say! Are you actually trying to claim to be my sister?! If only by blood I will never accept you-!" He yelled.

"_Naruto!_" Kakashi hissed to silence him. Satomi was shaking, her arms and legs barely able to hold her up. Tears fell on the ground beneath her, hidden by her hair. Slowly she rose to her feet. The blood dripping down her face hid the tears she tried hard to hold back.

"A lifetime of pain and lonelyness..." Naruto began, talking for once in a calm voice. "...How can you expect me to just forget everything and pretend it's okay..." His voice quivered slightly as he spoke. "...Where... where were you my whole life...? When I needed..." He trailed off, the tears he was holding back making him unable to speak.

"So, Satomi... Your transforming skills leave much to be desired in your current state, I could sense that it was you... is this the boy you told me about?" The man in the mask stepped into the clearing with them all so stealthily no one had noticed, thinking he was long gone.

"Haku...When did I ever.... Not even Zabuza knows... You..." Satomi muttered under her breath, not needing to make eye contact to know who it was.

"You told me a very long time ago. Only I knew where you were going every time you ran away." He said. "Although I think Zabuza-san had a pretty good idea... He only did it for your own good, so this wouldn't happen... You should have listened to him..." Haku started twirling around a needle in each hand, walking closer to where everyone was. Kakashi put himself in between his subordinates and the masked man. "Stand aside. I have no reason to fight you. I am here to take back what does not belong here, nor anywhere near this village. I do not wish to hurt or kill unnessesarily." Haku did not stop walking towards them. Satomi, now standing up, limped around Kakashi, so she was facing Haku and not endangering anyone but herself.

"Haku.... This does not concern you.... Please... Go away..." She said softly, her one uncovered eye starring into his mask.

"I don't know how you got away from me before, and for what? All you accomplished was putting yourself through more pain. I don't understand you, Satomi." Haku replied to her request, obviously not taking too strongly to it. "You're coming back with me." He commanded forcefully.

"_No... I'm... not!_" Satomi hissed through clennched teeth. Suddenly she pulled out a kunai in each hand, chucking them across the clearing. The needles in Haku's hand stopped spinning, pointing upright. He lifted both his outstreached arms in front of him, parallel to the ground. The needles had gone through the ring on the end of each kunai, stopping them in midair on their course striahgt for his mask. He started spinning the kunai around the needles.

The kunai were sent flying, to be barely dodged by Satomi. They kept soaring behind her, blades making two loud thunks as they hit sonething hard. Satomi whirled around to see a wide-eyed Naruto starring down. The kunai had peirced the log he was tied to below him in between his legs. He stared at the blades, they were a little too close for comfort. Satomi was paralyzed with fear. If that had hit him.... She didn't even want to think about it. She turned back to face her adversary, breath deep and harsh, her right eye starring at him menacingly....

"_HAKU!!_" He stood very still, watching her, needles still in his hands. The sudden rush of fear and adrenaline gave her the strenght to charge at him, kunai at the ready. Before she could even blink, Haku dissapeared, reapearing far at her left, needles raised. As her legs propelled her foreward, one hid in the shadow of the other for a mere second at a time. But it was enough for him. He threw the needles, waiting for the moment her legs were together. They striked her ankle, peircing one and sliding into the other. Her momentum kept her body going, but her legs were not there to catch her. She fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as she rolled to her side, drawing her legs to her chest and becoming motionless.

Haku walked to her fallen body, standing above her and looking down. He shook his head slighly as he kneeled down next to her. "Satomi..." Haku put his hand on her face, brushing aside her bangs. She panted, glaring at him throught the corner of her eye. She flung her arm up, shoving his away from her. He stood up, and turned to face the others. "If you will not cooperate..." He pulled out two more needles, bent his arm back and chucked them at Naruto. Kakashi jumped in the line of fire, knocking them down with a kunai. He quickly bolted around as the masked boy dissapeared, reappearing back on top of the log Naruto was tied to. A needle in his hand was bearing down towards the helpless boy's face too quickly for anyone to react.

Four kunai, one right after the other peirced the log next to Naruto in a vertical line, cutting the ropes thet held him up. He fell to the ground seconds before the needle in Haku's hand hit the wood where his head had been. Satomi was on her side still, one arm holding her up, the other outstreached.

"_Dont... you... dare...._" She whispered, choking on blood. Haku stood back up on the log, the needle stuck in the wood. Two more flew from his hands and soared silently towards Satomi, peircing the side of her neck. Her eye was wide with pain as she fell over and lay motionless once more, the two needles petruding from her neck and sticking straight up. Haku jumped down from the log, over where Naruto sat petrified on the ground below him, and calmly walked towards Satomi.

"That should shut her up for a while..." Haku chuckled. Kakshi did not move, but stayed in between his foe and his subordinates, killing himself inside for allowing such potential harm for fall upon one of them. Haku knelt by Satomi, picking her up in his arms. Her head swung backwards limply, her arms hung down towards the ground and her legs stay fastened together as Haku dissapeared with her.

The four were quiet for what seemed like an eternity. He was gone this time. Nobody knew what to say to Naruto, who hadn't moved an inch since Satomi introduced herself. Finally Kakashi spoke.

"...You all, get up. We are done for today. I will escort you out of the forest." It took a while for Naruto to snap out of his petrified trance, and once he did his eyes refused to look at anyone. He stared at the forest floor, unable to make a sound until he was home, safe... and alone, as usual. By nightfall his home was torn apart, dishes and furniture and clothes scattered broken and disorganized everywhere. Not a single solitary inch of floor was visibe through the clutter, it looked as if a tornado had passed through. In the very center of it all a collapsed Naruto lay still, his house silent. People outside, drawn by the racket, began to disperse and go to their own homes and loved ones. Naruto hated them all.


End file.
